Life Time — Local services in Raleigh

This is the first time I have ever written a bad review anywhere and I'm doing it because I am so angry about how my three year old child was treated today at the children's center.

I decided to go with a close friend and her daughter today to check out the children's program. I will say that this was the biggest draw for us since they have STEM, music, sports, ect, classes for children. Today we wanted the kids to attend the soccer class so my friend told me she usually goes in and waits until the children line up with their activity.

The children were called over to the center ranging from about 3 to 13 years of age, there were probably around 30 children all together, it made me a little concerned because no one really had control over the group. It didn't seem like any of the child care workers were very experienced in working with large groups of children. My friend asked if our kids were supposed to have been given a wrist band for soccer when we checked in. He said that yes, they were supposed to have gray ones, and my friend went to get them and we put them on the children.

They called the older kids to their activity and then they called our kids soccer group. We lined the kids up. Then they called another group to line up and my son got confused and started going the other direction with the new line. I waited a few seconds but the instructor didn't even notice she was losing one of the kids. I put him back in the line and explained to him he needed to stay with the soccer line and his friend. After that it seemed like they would be headed to go play, not wanting to get in the way, we said good by and left.

Fast forward an hour later (how long the class is) we came back for our kids. My friend mentioned that they may not be done yet. I started looking around and saw my son in the large play indoor structure. Confused I called him over, and he seemed super relieved to see me. My friend asked my son where her daughter was and saw she was in the play space for younger children. At this point I started looking at the ages of the kids in the play area where my son was and they were way older than he was. Like 6 to 7 possibly older.

So, at this point my son says, "mommy, is it time to go play soccer now??!!" And I asked, honey didn't you already go play soccer? And he said, "no".

So I direct my attention towards the child care worker my friend was speaking with and she was saying how her little girl was crying at first. Then I asked her and she explained that my son cried very briefly when we first left. And I asked her why he wasn't taken to soccer and she seemed confused, and then looked surprised he had a wrist band.

What business do they have watching children if they can't keep track of them???!! I wasn't notified they kept him out of soccer (probably because they didn't realize that was where he was supposed to be). And my son told me that the big kids had been pushing him when he was going through the tunnels. My son is tall for his age, but who puts a three year old to play on a climbing play area with children that much older than them? And they were not being monitored on the play area when I walked in.

Needless to say, I will be joining AE finnely YMCA when we join a gym. At least I know if he's in a class there he will be looked after and safe with children his own age.

And not that it really matters but the guys working in the cafe were suuuuuupeeer unfriendly. The only truly nice person was the lady at the front desk who had great...

First, please know that I spend most of my days at my home in Barcelona or London. It was recently necessary for me to travel the Colonies to expand some luxury real estate investments. I obtained a month pass for around £150,00 from a minstrel-like man working at one of these similar facilities just outside of New York, in Jersey.

Recently, I had the displeasure of speaking with the manger of this facility (Raleigh, North Carolina, America). He is a little brown fellow by the name of Derek and with a peculiar plebeian-esque surname that cannot be recalled at this moment, I do beg your pardon. I initially noticed his extremely cheap suit and tie and marveled to myself, "What sort of facility is this?!" Of course that is a rhetorical question as one actually calls on the facility with their own eyes; the pedestrian cuts of granite and wood are atrocious and tragic. Yes, it does seem as though Mr. Dictionary has escaped me once again; however, it is excruciatingly difficult to accurately describe something so pedestrian without using pedestrian words.

I am a lady that typically attends an Equinox fitness facility and this facility they call "Life Time" is large but not of luxury or sophistication. The cheap towels are an immediate giveaway that you're in a facility frequented by the lower classes. Of course, one would immediately quip, "But, Olivia, the monthly fees are not what the lower classes can afford!"

I learned that this facility charges around £70,00 per month. That's barely the £700,00 per month that Equinox in Kensington (London) charges. So, my dear friends, I beg that you poor little things in North Carolina, America, learn what luxury and exclusivity actually are.

Finally, I found the equipment to be quite vulgar and poorly maintained. Certainly, a facility that charges so little could not possibly afford adequate servants that are accustomed to actually cleaning for a living. Instead, you'll find miscreant transients working here merely for whatever minuscule tokens they can scavenge from the equally as vulgar manager.

The patrons at the facility were equally as vulgar as the equipment. I dare say I have servants and gardeners in Spain that have better social graces and appearances than these, dare I say, people.

During a bout of insomnia mixed with a hint of jet lag, I had my driver bring me to "Life Time" at 9:00 in the evening. It was a Tuesday; I experienced what it must be like to be incarcerated in a Colonial house of correction. The patrons were of street-level quality and were dressed in the sort of thing you may tragically be witness to if people were to be rescued from a hurricane or war-torn territory.

I quickly performed a 25-minute mountain climb on the poorly cleansed TechnoGym cardiovascular device, complete with air circulator clogged with lint and assorted other unmentionable debris. After, I quickly summoned my driver to hastily whisk me back to The Umstead, a mediocre hotel that I will also review in short order.

No wonder why the Queen, God save her, gave up on these...

Infectious skin disease in Kids Academy and break ins

We recently relocated and transferred our memberships from the San Antonio location, which was managed exceptionally well. Unfortunately, our experience at the Raleigh gym has been disappointing and falls far below acceptable standards.

Initially, we decided to remain at the gym despite a break-in incident during the day, where several vehicles were targeted. It surprised me that this location lacks security personnel patrolling the parking lot, unlike San Antonio, which had two guards on duty at all times. The manager mentioned installing a portable security camera for the parking area to boost security and safety, but there have been no updates or improvements since.

Beyond the property damage, our main concern has been the absolute lack of cleanliness in the Kids Academy.

The hygiene standards here are shockingly low compared to our Texas location. Upon entering the Raleigh Kids Academy, we were immediately struck by the stench of feet and old socks. Within a week of attending, my child developed athlete's foot, and despite treatment, she contracted it two more times in just a few weeks. We tried doubling up on socks, but since shoes are not allowed in the play areas, my child left with dirty, stained socks that often had to be discarded.

The situation reached a breaking point when my daughter sustained a small cut on the slide in the Kids Academy. Within an hour, the area became red and inflamed. Despite throughly cleaning the cut, it just looked like more was happening. By day three, she had developed a full staph infection with additional blisters along the back of her knee. After two rounds of antibiotics, she is only now beginning to recover.

When we reported this incident to the front desk, we were told, “we get this complaint a lot.” This response is shocking since her pediatrician advised us to sanitize her clothes, bedding, bathtub, and sitting areas after each use due to the contagious nature of the infection. It's alarming to think that this bacteria is lingering on the slide due to inadequate cleaning. Also, There was never any notice to the other parents that this infectious disease is present in the Kids Academy nor was it shut down to be cleaned thoroughly.

It is utterly unacceptable to trust the safety of our children to a facility that does not maintain proper cleanliness and security, especially considering the fees we pay. Our children's safety and well-being deserve far better.

Photos are the truck break in and comparisons of day 1 to day 3, showing how quickly the skin disease spread before...